'A Disruptive Force': Chris Doleman was Ahead of His Time as a Pass Rusher

[Viktor]

The 21 sacks in one season are tied with fellow Hall of Famer Reggie White's output in 1987 for the fifth-most by a player in a single campaign and 1.5 shy of the record of 22.5 set by Michael Strahan in 2001.


"He had that one-arm technique that he came up with," said Vikings Hall of Fame guard Randall McDaniel. "He was one-of-a-kind. I got to watch him play and watch the year he had 21 sacks. He was phenomenal on the field. We're losing a good one today."


Coleman recalled how Doleman eventually flourished as a defensive end.


"In the beginning, he struggled a little bit because going from linebacker to defensive line was a little adjustment," Coleman said. "But we still rode him pretty good because we knew the potential that he had. Once he figured it out of how good and disruptive he could be as a D-lineman, the sky was the limit.


"He would do whatever you asked. I remember once I had him on my punt team as a right tackle. He missed a couple blocks and I said, 'Doleman, I don't care if you're a first-round pick or not, if you don't pick up your blocks, you're getting off my damn punt team.' That was Chris," Coleman added. "He busted his butt and cared about his teammates, and he wanted to be the best. He worked his tail off. Those are some of the memories I'm thinking about right now."


Doleman recorded eight double-digit sack seasons, and he compiled 11 years in which he recorded at least 8.0 sacks.